Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

Heavy smoke conditions in Deer Lake have caused havoc for the community.
“Yesterday was very smoky, but the wind has shifted,” said Deer Lake councillor Cory Meekis July 21. “We couldn’t even see 50 feet in front of us when we were driving.”
He had just watched a four-engine Hercules aircraft take off from his community with a load of phase-one evacuees and their luggage.
Meekis said the lower smoke conditions on July 21 provided a good opportunity to evacuate about 550 phase-one evacuees from the community of about 1,100 people.

ᐊᒥ ᐊᔕ ᓂᐦᓱᓂᐱᐣ ᐁᑐᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᑕᓱᓂᐱᐣ ᐱᒧᓭᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᐃᔑᒋᑫᐊᐧᐨ ᐁᐃᐧᐅᐣᒋ ᑭᑭᓇᐊᐧᐸᐣᑎᓂᐁᐧᐊᐧᐨ ᐁᐱᒧᓴᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᑲᐃᔑᐊᓂᒧᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᑲᐱᒥᓂᔕᐦᐊᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓄᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᓂ.
“ᐣᑭᐅᒋ ᓂᓯᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᐣ ᐁᑲ ᐃᐧᐣ ᓇᐣᑕ ᐁᔑᑭᒋᐃᓀᐣᑕᑲᐧᐠ ᐁᑲ ᑫᑯᐣ ᑲᑐᑕᒪᐣ ᓇᐣᑕ ᒥᓇ ᑲᐃᔑᐸᐸᓂᓭᔭᐣ; ᐃᐁᐧ ᐃᔑᑭᒋᓀᐣᑕᑲᐧᐣ ᑲᑐᑕᒪᐣ ᒥᓇ ᑫᑯᓀᐣ ᑲᑭᑭᐡᑲᑯᔭᐣ,” ᑭᐃᑭᑐ ᓫᐊᕑᐃᓴ ᑎᕑᐅᓯᔦ, ᑲᓂᑲᓂᐡᑲᒪᑫᐨ ᐃᒪ ᐅᐡᑭ ᐊᔭᐊᐠ ᒥᓄᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᐃᔑᓂᑲᑌᐠ. “ᐃᐁᐧ ᐱᑯ ᐁᑕᐃᐧᓂᑲᑌᐠ ᒋᐱᒧᓴᑕᒪᐣ ᑲᐃᔑᓇᑯᑐᔭᐣ ᑭᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᐣ… ᐁᐃᐧᐊᐣᒋᑐᔭᐣ ᒥᓇ ᒥᓄᑫᑯᓇᐣ ᐁᐃᐧᑐᑕᒪᐣ.”
ᐅᒪ ᑲᑕᑭᐧᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᐱᒧᓭᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᐅᐣᒋ ᑭᑭᓄᐦᐊᒪᑫᒪᑲᐣ ᒋᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᑲᐸᐃᐧᐨ, ᑫᐅᐣᒋᑲᐧᔭᑯᔑᐣᐠ ᒥᓇ ᒋᐅᔑᐯᐣᑕᒧᐃᐧᓂᐨ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᑎᕑᐅᓯᔦ, ᐊᔕ ᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᓂᔓᓂᐱᐣ ᐅᑭᑐᑕᓇᐣ ᐱᒧᓭᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᑭᑐᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ 2009 ᒥᓇ 2010 ᑲᑭᐱᒧᓭᐨ.
ᐁᑲᐧ ᐃᓂᐁᐧᓂᐊᐧᐣ ᑲᑭᐅᐣᒋ ᐃᐧᒋᐱᒧᓭᒪᐨ ᑕᐱᐡᑯᐨ ᐃᑯ ᓂᐊᐧᑯᒪᑲᓇᐠ ᐣᑭᔭᓂᐃᓀᓂᒪᐠ, ᐃᑭᑐ.

A group of six First Nation cyclists from Quebec are riding across Canada to raise awareness of drug and alcohol abuse in their communities.
“We just want to show the youth they can have a better life without drugs and alcohol,” said Evelyn Papatie, a cyclist from Lac Simon First Nation in the Val-d’Or region of Quebec. “I know there are lots of communities having the same problems with suicides and drugs and alcohol.”
The cyclists took the day off from cycling July 19 for bicycle repairs in Thunder Bay.

Pic River’s Garland Moses shared his community’s success in completing a 10-year housing plan three years early during the 16th Annual Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation Conference and Tradeshow.
“Out of our population of 500 people, 425 took some type of healing program,” said Garland Moses, capital housing manager with Ojibways of the Pic River. “We need to do that because in order for us to work amongst our people, we have to be healthy people.”

A reported $8.8 billion infrastructure gap for Ontario’s First Nation communities raised questions at the 16th Annual Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation Conference and Tradeshow in Thunder Bay Aug. 23-25.
“What (Ontario) First Nations have reminded government that their annual (infrastructure) budget is $260 million,” said Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse. “So how are we going to close this (infrastructure) gap when the cost of doing nothing almost is costing more than $260 million with inflation and the growing rates of many of our communities.”